Author
Topic: Naughty Dog's The Last of Us

It's not so much a plot hole (because generally the plot is less about the infection and more about how Man Is The True Monster) but rather an inconsistency I found glaring due to the game going to painstaking lengths to maintain hard science credibility. It's expected that a work needs to be internally consistent in order to continue suspending disbelief, and any fantastic elements won't affect that suspension so long as they are consistent. FOr example: if a time traveler in a work says "we can't go forward in time, only backwards," then inexplicably travels forward in time for no proper reason, it breaks suspension of disbelief because even the made up rules don't apply. Magic A is Magic A

doesn't the cordyceps virus attack the brain first according to the game, and usually within minutes of infection, leading to the runner stage of infection in about a day? I'm basing it on the fact that most details regarding infection in game show brain x rays and head scans. I mean,it's a fictional disease so facts are laughable, but idk how far you've gotten and maybe you missed some stuff...just tossing it out there.

It doesn't really matter that it attacks the brain "first," it shouldn't even reach it because it has to reach the brain through the bloodstream, and if it's not causing any damage in the brain, it means it's being eradicated before reaching the brain by the host immune system. I just find this to be more than a bit unbelievable; the first immune human ever and you're going to cut her up? It flies in the face of any sort of logical thought process.[/URL]

It doesn't really matter that it attacks the brain "first," it shouldn't even reach it because it has to reach the brain through the bloodstream, and if it's not causing any damage in the brain, it means it's being eradicated before reaching the brain by the host immune system. I just find this to be more than a bit unbelievable; the first immune human ever and you're going to cut her up? It flies in the face of any sort of logical thought process.[/URL]

It does seem a bit flawed. Course, a mushroom virus that turns you into a zombie-esque freak is a tad outlandish itself.

It doesn't really matter that it attacks the brain "first," it shouldn't even reach it because it has to reach the brain through the bloodstream, and if it's not causing any damage in the brain, it means it's being eradicated before reaching the brain by the host immune system. I just find this to be more than a bit unbelievable; the first immune human ever and you're going to cut her up? It flies in the face of any sort of logical thought process.[/URL]

It does seem a bit flawed. Course, a mushroom virus that turns you into a zombie-esque freak is a tad outlandish itself.

It doesn't really matter that it attacks the brain "first," it shouldn't even reach it because it has to reach the brain through the bloodstream, and if it's not causing any damage in the brain, it means it's being eradicated before reaching the brain by the host immune system. I just find this to be more than a bit unbelievable; the first immune human ever and you're going to cut her up? It flies in the face of any sort of logical thought process.[/URL]

It does seem a bit flawed. Course, a mushroom virus that turns you into a zombie-esque freak is a tad outlandish itself.

The BBC clip from Planet Earth inspired the game...or so the legends say.

Obviously the science won't be right, it wasn't from the start, cordyceps can't harm humans. Basically, you take freaky yet semi-natural mutations and combine it with the best parts of zombies, and presto, Last of Us.

Anyways, I gotta go with Pale Robbie on this one; a lot of bad (or even made-up) science helps propel a lot of entertaining fiction; why fight it? Of course, it's natural to get somewhat upset when you're in the field and completely disprove it, but that's why fiction is so loverly.

So being that it's a fungal parasite and not actually a virus or infection, perhaps that would displace some of your theory, Ashton?

I still like what you said though, that whole thing made some sort of no sense in my head, but it had to happen in such a way given the story progression. Character redemption, etc

Fungal infection is still infection. The body's reaction to it won't be that different, though la workups wil reveal different things (different white blood cells respond to different sorts of infection).

let's cut her brain out! It seems really extreme and not fitting with the rest of their actions when dealing with something that may be humanity's only salvation, I mean, if you pull out her brain and nothing's there... then what?Even in the context of the game's story where people did horrific things to survive, it sort of stood out as a glaring "WTF?"

So being that it's a fungal parasite and not actually a virus or infection, perhaps that would displace some of your theory, Ashton?

I still like what you said though, that whole thing made some sort of no sense in my head, but it had to happen in such a way given the story progression. Character redemption, etc

Fungal infection is still infection. The body's reaction to it won't be that different, though la workups wil reveal different things (different white blood cells respond to different sorts of infection).

let's cut her brain out! It seems really extreme and not fitting with the rest of their actions when dealing with something that may be humanity's only salvation, I mean, if you pull out her brain and nothing's there... then what?Even in the context of the game's story where people did horrific things to survive, it sort of stood out as a glaring "WTF?"

I thought it was kind of weird at he very end there when you burst into the room with the doctors. I didn't actually want to kill them but one of them is just standing in your way. I eventually dew my gun and tried to scare him off but then he picked up a scalpel and tried to threaten Joel. Couldn't force my way past so eventually I was just like, fine, I kill him. If you do a melee attack Joel actually stabs the guy in the throat with his own scalpel. Fun.

Then I killed the other two doctors because I thought I was supposed to, but apparently you don't actually have to. Oh well...